The incorporation of electronic devices with pneumatic tire and wheel structures yields many practical advantages. Tire electronics may include sensors and other components for relaying tire identification parameters and also for obtaining information regarding various physical parameters of a tire, such as temperature, pressure, tread wear, number of tire revolutions, vehicle speed, etc. Such performance information may become useful in tire monitoring and warning systems, and may even potentially be employed with feedback systems to regulate proper tire and/or vehicle parameters.
Yet another potential capability offered by electronics systems integrated with tire structures corresponds to asset tracking and performance characterization for commercial vehicular applications. Commercial truck fleets, aviation craft and earth mover/mining vehicles are all viable industries that could utilize the benefits of tire electronic systems and related information transmission. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be utilized to provide unique identification for a given tire, enabling tracking abilities for a tire. Tire sensors can determine the distance each tire in a vehicle has traveled and thus aid in maintenance planning for such commercial systems. Vehicle location and performance can be optimized for more expensive applications such as those concerning earth-mining equipment.
As is apparent, the use of tire electronics has many practical advantages. On the other hand, the presence of such tire electronics creates certain difficulties during certain periods of a tires useful life. One particular period occurs when a tire equipped with such tire electronics is brought to a facility for recapping.
Under usual circumstances, when a tire is presented for recapping, the tire may be tested for defects that may preclude recapping or present issues that need to be addressed during the recapping process. One commonly used method for inspecting a tire for damage prior to recapping such tire involves the use of a high voltage probe in the form of a wire. During tire inspection, a high voltage energized wire loops are brushed against the interior of the tire so that sparks may jump from the wire to the site of a defect thereby revealing any defects. Such high voltage discharges may be damaging to the tire electronics, and moreover, the wire itself may mechanically snag on an electronics package causing mechanical damage to the tire electronics package.
While various implementations of tire electronics systems have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.